The 2015 Australian Open was held in Sydney last month. Australia alternates between a closed national championship where foreign participation is restricted and an open event. This year was the open format and top seed was Chinese GM Ni Hua, ahead of six other grandmasters and twelve International Masters in a field of 106 players.
Ni made no contest of first place, winning the tournament with an outstanding 10½/11. The title of Australian Open Champion was hotly contested until the final round. In the end it was defending champion, IM Max Illingworth of Sydney, who leaped ahead of his compatriots. He finished second equal on 8 points with GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazakhstan.
Today's game is the final round game that secured the Australian title. Illingworth is White and accurately punishes an instructive mistake by IM Kim Steven Yap of the Philippines.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.e3
After this move the Trompovsky Attack soon transposes to a position from the Queens Gambit Declined. 3... e6 4.c4 c6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Qc2
As is typical for the Queens Gambit Declined, Black would like to exchange pawns on c4 after White has developed his king's bishop, so it must make a second move to recapture. Thus White delays the bishop's development and goes about making as many other useful moves as possible, challenging his opponent to find better moves than the pawn capture. 7... O-O 8.Rd1 Re8 9.a3 h6 10.Bf4 Qa5 11.Bd3
White blinks first. 11... dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nd5 13.O-O!?
Sharpening the struggle. White gets on with his development and allows Black to isolate his d-pawn and gain the two bishops. White reckons on attacking chances against the black king using the open e-file and the strong e5 outpost while Black catches up with development. 13... Nxf4 14.exf4 Nb6 15.Ba2 Nd5 16.Bb1 g6?
White threatened mate in two starting with 17.Qh7+, but this is the worst of the available defences. Also after 17... f5?! 18.Nxd5! exd5 19.Rfe1 White has a pull as his d-pawn is covered and he can build up on the e-file. e.g: 19... Bd7 20.Ne5 Bd6 21.Re3 Qc7 22.Rde1 etc. Best was 17... Nf6! leaving the kingside intact and vacating the d-file to attack the isolated pawn: 18.Ne5 Rd8 19.Ne4 Qb6! White gains little from penetrating to h7: 20.Nxf6+ Bxf6 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.Rd2 Bd7 (Not 22... Rxd4? opening the d-file 23.Rfd1 c5 24.b4! and the Black king suffers) 23.Rfd1 Ke7 ready to eject the queen with a level game. After the move played White immediately targets the weakened Black kingside. 17.Ne5! Bf6
Since g6 can't be held, another idea was 17... Nxc3!? 18.bxc3 Bxa3 19.Nxg6! Qf5 keeping material equality and trying to hang on. But after 20.Qb3 Qf6 21.Qxa3 fxg6 22.Rd3! Kh7 23. Rg3 Rg8 24.Qd6 White is much better. 18.Nxg6! Bg7
Obviously not 18... fxg6? 19.Qxg6+ Kf8 20.Nxd5 regaining the piece with interest. 19.Nxd5 Qxd5?!
After 19... exd5 20.Ne5 f5 the game is very similar to the line above after 17... f5 except White has an extra pawn. This was better than the text as now Black's queenside pieces never enter the game. 20.Ne5 Qd8 21.Rd3 f5 22.Qe2 Qh4
Necessary to stop White's heavy pieces swinging to the kingside. White switches to targeting e6 instead. 23.g3 Qf6 24.Re1 Rd8 25.Ba2 Rd6 26.b4 a5?!
Lacking any constructive moves, Black tries to jailbreak his rook, but only hastens the end. If 26...Qd8 27.Qh5! threatens to take f5 and a check on f7, forcing 27... Qf8 28 b5! and White will crash through on the c-file. 27.Nc4! Rxd4 28.Nb6 Re4
Black resigned without waiting for 29.Qd1 Rxe1+ 30.Qxe1 Rb8 31.Nxc8 wining the bishop due to the fork 31... Rxc8? 32.Bxe6+ etc.
Second Australian title to Illingworth
Problem: White to play and mate in 6.
The 2015 Australian Open was held in Sydney last month. Australia alternates between a closed national championship where foreign participation is restricted and an open event. This year was the open format and top seed was Chinese GM Ni Hua, ahead of six other grandmasters and twelve International Masters in a field of 106 players.
Ni made no contest of first place, winning the tournament with an outstanding 10½/11. The title of Australian Open Champion was hotly contested until the final round. In the end it was defending champion, IM Max Illingworth of Sydney, who leaped ahead of his compatriots. He finished second equal on 8 points with GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazakhstan.
Today's game is the final round game that secured the Australian title. Illingworth is White and accurately punishes an instructive mistake by IM Kim Steven Yap of the Philippines.
1.d4 Nf6
2.Bg5 d5
3.e3
After this move the Trompovsky Attack soon transposes to a position from the Queens Gambit Declined.
3... e6
4.c4 c6
5.Nc3 Be7
6.Nf3 Nbd7
7.Qc2
As is typical for the Queens Gambit Declined, Black would like to exchange pawns on c4 after White has developed his king's bishop, so it must make a second move to recapture. Thus White delays the bishop's development and goes about making as many other useful moves as possible, challenging his opponent to find better moves than the pawn capture.
7... O-O
8.Rd1 Re8
9.a3 h6
10.Bf4 Qa5
11.Bd3
White blinks first.
11... dxc4
12.Bxc4 Nd5
13.O-O!?
Sharpening the struggle. White gets on with his development and allows Black to isolate his d-pawn and gain the two bishops. White reckons on attacking chances against the black king using the open e-file and the strong e5 outpost while Black catches up with development.
13... Nxf4
14.exf4 Nb6
15.Ba2 Nd5
16.Bb1 g6?
White threatened mate in two starting with 17.Qh7+, but this is the worst of the available defences. Also after 17... f5?! 18.Nxd5! exd5 19.Rfe1 White has a pull as his d-pawn is covered and he can build up on the e-file. e.g: 19... Bd7 20.Ne5 Bd6 21.Re3 Qc7 22.Rde1 etc. Best was 17... Nf6! leaving the kingside intact and vacating the d-file to attack the isolated pawn: 18.Ne5 Rd8 19.Ne4 Qb6! White gains little from penetrating to h7: 20.Nxf6+ Bxf6 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.Rd2 Bd7 (Not 22... Rxd4? opening the d-file 23.Rfd1 c5 24.b4! and the Black king suffers) 23.Rfd1 Ke7 ready to eject the queen with a level game. After the move played White immediately targets the weakened Black kingside.
17.Ne5! Bf6
Since g6 can't be held, another idea was 17... Nxc3!? 18.bxc3 Bxa3 19.Nxg6! Qf5 keeping material equality and trying to hang on. But after 20.Qb3 Qf6 21.Qxa3 fxg6 22.Rd3! Kh7 23. Rg3 Rg8 24.Qd6 White is much better.
18.Nxg6! Bg7
Obviously not 18... fxg6? 19.Qxg6+ Kf8 20.Nxd5 regaining the piece with interest.
19.Nxd5 Qxd5?!
After 19... exd5 20.Ne5 f5 the game is very similar to the line above after 17... f5 except White has an extra pawn. This was better than the text as now Black's queenside pieces never enter the game.
20.Ne5 Qd8
21.Rd3 f5
22.Qe2 Qh4
Necessary to stop White's heavy pieces swinging to the kingside. White switches to targeting e6 instead.
23.g3 Qf6
24.Re1 Rd8
25.Ba2 Rd6
26.b4 a5?!
Lacking any constructive moves, Black tries to jailbreak his rook, but only hastens the end. If 26...Qd8 27.Qh5! threatens to take f5 and a check on f7, forcing 27... Qf8 28 b5! and White will crash through on the c-file.
27.Nc4! Rxd4
28.Nb6 Re4
Black resigned without waiting for 29.Qd1 Rxe1+ 30.Qxe1 Rb8 31.Nxc8 wining the bishop due to the fork 31... Rxc8? 32.Bxe6+ etc.
1-0
Solution: 1.Nf8+ Kg8 2.Nd7+ Kh7 3.Nxf6+ gxf6 4.Qf7+ Kh8 5.Rd8+ Qe8 6.Rxe8#.